The SGGS wants us not to scare
or frighten anyone, and not to be scared or frightened of anyone else too. Thus,
the SGGS seems to suggest live and let live philosophy. God has blessed us with
human body to live and let live, and to advance cooperation and selfless love.
If one is fearful, then naturally he will certainly end up frightening others,
and vise versa. Only if one is afraid of nothing he will not frighten anyone.
Hence, "live and let" is a state of fearlessness. On the other hand,
the attitude "live and let die" must rise on account of fear. Desires
and fears have hand and glove relationship. They both ride in the darkness of
the negativity of the defiled mind.

Fearless person
believes that other people should be allowed to live their lives in the way that
they want to. When free of fear, one accepts other people as they are, although
they may have a different way of life. He thus believes in live and let live attitude,
so long people behave in a civilized way. Such person or people seem as a society
to have a very live and let live attitude towards wide spectrum of issues like
religion, politics, etc. Actions done under stress of fear lack reasoning and
a sense of voluntarism.

What's the root cause of fear? The cause of all fears
is self-grasping ignorance (false ego-sense), and all the delusions (Bikaars
or negative propensities of the mind) such as lust, anger, attachments, pride,
enviousness, stubborn mindedness (and their numerous variations like selfishness,
untruthfulness etc.) as arise from that ignorance, as well as all the unrighteous
or unskillful actions motivated by those delusions or guilt consciousness. Such
delusional or fearful people are called Manmukhs in the Gurbani. Conducting
themselves in the material consciousness (performing Maya's duty), they are fraught
with fear.

Man's
worst enemy is desire or carving. The notion of "I-ness" and "mine,
mine" motivated by desire or craving is the soul of fear and grief. Those
filled with desire and and the darkness of ignorance, no matter what they are
given, they are never contented in life. Fear and desire are psychological factors
that drive us from inside. These bind us to the worldly consciousness. More desires
translate into more fears and more insecurity. The main hurdle in changing or
improving the individual life or the world is that people are generally fearful
(egoist: selfish, greedy etc.).

Fear can
be described by different terms in accordance with its relative degrees — Acrophobia,
Arachnophobia, Agoraphobia, Belonephobia, Brontophobia, Claustrophobia, Hamartophobia,
Suriphobia, Necrophobia, Pentheraphobia, Thalassophobia, Xenophobia, and so on.
Also some fears may be more common than generally thought. Selfish, greedy and
ignorant rulers and leaders (political , religious etc.) and find it easy to rule
or manipulate people by creating fear in them. Fear gives rise to insecurity.
This trait of mortals was recognized by not only by the Mahaatamaans, but
also contemporary thinkers, writers and leaders.

From what is dear,
grief is born, from what is dear, fear is born. For someone freed from what is
dear there is no grief — so why fear? From what is loved, grief is born, from
what is loved, fear is born. For someone freed from what is loved, there is no
grief — so why fear? From delight, grief is born, from delight, fear is born.
For someone freed from delight there is no grief — so why fear? From sensuality,
grief is born, from sensuality, fear is born. For someone freed from sensuality
there is no grief — so why fear? From craving, grief is born, from craving, fear
is born. For someone freed from craving there is no grief — so why fear? ( Dhammapada
212-216, a collection of sayings of the Buddha).

Neither a man nor a crowd
nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence
of a great fear (Bertrand Russell).

Fear is the main source of superstition,
and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom
(Bertrand Russell).

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.(Franklin
Roosevelt).

How can fear be conquered? Desire and fear coexist: they
both drive us into Kaarmic actions. Furthermore, the desire (Kaam)
is one of the faults of the false ego-sense (I-ness or Haume). In here
is the clue as to how to conquer fear. The Gurbani says, when the ego is gone
desire is stilled, and fear and doubts run away. There exist all sorts of therapies
of treating fear, but this is the real one. How can this therapy be realized?
By becoming imbued in the spiritual essence (Naam-Simran etc.), says the
Gurbani. This will also remove the fear of death. Simply put, the fearlessness
is the virtue of a godly Soul. Only a truly godly Being (the Giaanee, spiritually
wise or Gurmukh) will exhibit an attitude of live and let live. Let alone
worldly desires, such Being even does not entertain the desire of liberation (i.e.,
celestial desires)! He is the embodiment of desirelessness.